1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to plated articles formed of a resin composition consisting of a polybutylene terephthalate resin and a specific ABS resin, and having excellent thermal resistance, mechanical strength and solvent resistance.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Molded articles formed of polybutylene terephthalate resins (hereinafter referred to as PBT resins) have been widely used as electrical parts, automobile parts and the like, because of their excellent mechanical properties, electrical properties and thermal resistance. However, molded PBT articles have the disadvantage that they are difficult to plate and this limits their range of application. In order to overcome this disadvantage, a number of methods have been proposed. They include the method of treating the surface of a molded PBT article with an alkaline solution prior to plating (Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 6374/'78, 6376/'78 and 15966/'79), the method of treating a molded PBT article with a chromic acid solution prior to plating (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 149924/'83), and the method of treating a molded PBT article with both an alkaline solution and a chromic acid solution prior to plating (Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 253370/'86 and 253371/'86). However, these methods are still disadvantageous in that they complicate the manufacturing process and it is difficult to put them into practice.
On the other hand, ABS resins have excellent platability and comprise the greater part of the resins used for plating purposes. However, ABS resins have the disadvantage that their poor solvent resistance limits their range of application and their lack of thermal resistance makes it very difficult to use them at relatively high temperatures of 90.degree. C. or above.